Author: Jackie Wickham Smith

Providing Great Feedback to Students: April 2017 Online Learning Webinar

by Jessica Mansbach, Jackie Wickham Smith, Kristina Wilson Apr 17, 2017

In April’s Online Learning Webinar, learning designers Jessica Mansbach and Krissy Wilson and instructional technologist Jackie Wickham responded to recent student survey results indicating that students want more individual feedback from faculty, sharing six topics related to feedback for online students: Providing Useful Feedback Frequency and Timing of Feedback Getting Students to Use Your Feedback Tone and Bad Feedback Time-Saving Feedback Strategies Considering Feedback in Building Course Structure Faculty attendees also shared experiences and concerns related to providing feedback to students in the online environment. To view a recording of the webinar, click here. To visit the Canvas site displayed

Syllabus Tune-Up: February 2017 Online Learning Webinar

by Jackie Wickham Smith Feb 07, 2017

Reba-Anna and Elizabeth shared tips on creating a student-centered syllabus. They answered common questions about the function of the syllabus and provided information about incorporating media, making the syllabus easy for students to read, and important Northwestern resources to include in the syllabus. A recording of the webinar is available through Blue Jeans.

Student-to-Student Interaction in Online Courses

by Jackie Wickham Smith Jan 30, 2017

Having worked in online education for the past five years, I was intrigued by Darren Rosenblum’s recent New York Times article, “Leave Your Laptops at the Door to My Classroom.” While reading it, Rosenblum’s observation of a colleague’s course, where laptops were allowed, stood out to me: “[The students] took notes when [the professor] spoke, but resumed the rest of their lives instead of listening to classmates.” At the School of Professional Studies, we focus on student-to-student interaction as one of the three types of interaction, along with student-content and student-instructor, when designing courses. Rosenblum’s observation that students didn’t value

Take a Trip Beyond Google: November 2016 Online Learning Webinar

by Jackie Wickham Smith Nov 21, 2016

Northwestern University Librarians Charlotte Cubbage and Tracy Coyne joined us for November’s Online Learning Webinar, Take A Trip Beyond Google: Support for Your Online Course Information and Research Needs. Tracy and Charlotte shared information about the library as well as tips and tricks for finding resources related to your program and course. If you couldn’t make the webinar, view the recording. SPS hosts Online Learning Webinars the first Wednesday of every month at noon. If you have a topic you’d like to see covered in an upcoming Online Learning Webinar, please contact Instructional Technologist Jackie Wickham.

What’s New in Canvas? – October 2016

by Jackie Wickham Smith Oct 24, 2016

Both Instructure (Canvas’ parent company) and Northwestern Information Technology are always making changes and improvements to Canvas – sometimes it can be hard to keep up! Keep reading to learn about some of the biggest and best new things in Canvas. Northwestern’s Learning App Store Northwestern Information Technology has launched the Learning App Store, an easy way to add learning apps developed at Northwestern to your Canvas course site. Currently, four apps are available in the Learning App Store: Nebula, Discussion Analytics, YellowDig Viz, and UDOIT, with more on the way! Nebula Since Nebula was first launched, it’s become much